Subsections
[Cr:4, Lc:0, Tt:0, Lb:12]
This course is intended for Advanced MS
(Physics Major) students with an interest in gaining experience in an
experimental physics research group. The course can be offered every
semester, with a set of instructors drawn from the available
experimental research groups. The mode of instruction will comprise a
combination of lectures, tutorials and minor research projects to be
carried out in the research lab of the concerned instructor currently
the available modules are as follows out of which depending upon the
instructs at least two will be included in the course.
- NMR Spectroscopy Lab: Applying the Fourier transform to the NMR
signal. Digital data processing, Nyquist theorem, Discrete Fourier
transform, FFT algorithm, window functions and apodization. Physical
basis of the NMR signal, phase correction, phase cycling.
Redfield-Bloch relaxation theory and Master equation approach to
identifying relaxation processes in systems of two and three coupled
spins. The basic 2D FTNMR experiment and application to finding the
structure of a biomolecule. Pulsed field gradients and understanding
diffusion processes in polymer chains. Selective pulse rotations,
composite pulses and implementation of an NMR Quantum Computing
algorithm.
- Femtosecond Laser Lab: Experiments with cw laser, cavity stability,
beam parameters, divergence, diameter, intracavity frequency doubling.
Experiments with femtosecond laser: measurement of femtosecond laser
parameters, pulse duration, autocorrelation, spectral width,
repetition rate, beam diameter, divergence, application of fs pulses
to measure speed of light in vacuum, air and in glass. Pump-probe
spectroscopy, interferometric stability, ultrafast phenomenon measured
by fs pump probe setup.
- Low Temperature Physics Lab: This lab will focus on low noise
electronics. Projects will involve integrating different electronic
equipments in one Labview programme. As an example varying gate
voltage from a DAQ card output and measuring the conductance using a
lock-in amplifier ( a mock device like a commercial JFET or MOSFET
will be used). Students will also do some hands on Radio-frequency
electronics like designing co-planar waveguides on a PCB . They will
be expected to understand concepts like noise figures and noise
temperatures, develop cryogenic amplifiers to be tested at liquid
nitrogen temperatures.
- Solid State Physics Lab: Students will make new compounds by mixing up
starting materials/chemicals. These could be superconducting,
magnetic, or could show other interesting properties. Students will
also do characterization and imaging of these and other materials
using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Specifically students will
look at gold nano-particles and the wonder material graphene using the
SEM.
- M. Sayer and A. Mansingh, Measurement, Instrumentation and
Experiment Design in Physics and Engineering, Prentice-Hall of India
Pvt.Ltd (2004).
- D. M. Pozar, Microwave Engineering, 03rd edition, Wiley (2004)
- E. Fukushima and S .B. Roeder, Experimental Pulse NMR: A nuts
and bolts approach, Westview Press (1993)
- R. C. Richardson & E. N. Smith, Experimental Techniques In
Condensed Matter, Westview Press (1998).
